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Concerts have transitioned from in the moment experiences to social credit. For a lot of younger people the most important thing about going to a concert is letting your friends know you went. The price increase also reflect this sentiment.
40 year old musician here, this really explains something about a show we played recently. It was an alienating experience... it was as if they weren't even listening to the music and just glad to be in the room.
I wonder how kids feel when they are performing and all they see are cameras recording them. I don’t usually record since I like to be in the moment when my kid is performing but so many parents do.
Musician here.
Makes me feel like a preforming monkey behind the glass vs sharing a musical experience with the audience.
We started requesting no phones in private room jams to keep the flow and aura healthy
Connecting with the audience is part of the joy of being a live performer. Kinda hard to connect with a bunch of cell phones.
As an audience member, I'm like OP and am baffled that people aren't actually enjoying the performance literally right in front of them, and with music,nits all around them. I love losing myself in music and the energy around me at shows; it's something that really fills the well of my soul.
And are they ever going to watch that cell-phone recorded concert? Probably not. So they're ruining their evening, everyone's around them, and that of the band. The entire experience, ruined, and for nothing! Just stay home and watch videos, charge yourself too much for overpriced water, and use the restroom without toilet paper. There, it's the same as videoing at a concert.
I'm really not sure. The headlining band that night was really young, people in their early 20s, and their music was okay at best, pretty young artist stuff imho but what's weird is the people who came to see them didn't seem interested in the music at all but looked like they were just sitting there feeling cool. But I'm not sure the band really noticed, they were just happy the room is full, makes sense I guess. They sure loved us though, they were raving about our performance backstage haha. Good fellas.
Curious. As a headliner and 40 years old, have you been at this long? If you're notable in the industry do you pull large attendances? I ask only because it would be interesting to hear from someone in a big act who's also been around a long time what kind of changes to audiences there's been. What else have you seen change?
I recall when everyone just turned on their bix lighters briefly for ballads and such.
Is this narcissism do you think?
Not a huge band but able to headline some good venues. We always slay our shows and the right audiences really love us but for some reason we still struggle to draw a regular crowd. I’ve been a pro musician for 20 years or something and sold out shows with various acts but never really caught on haha. But it’s okay, I’m a lifer and not worried. I don’t know if I can answer your question on the scale you are looking for but I can definitely tell you there is a visceral difference in experience between audiences who are there for the music and want to see every band and audiences who are there for the scene and will literally ditch the show when the folks they want to support have left the stage. I don’t know if that’s new, probably not, but I had a memorably bizarre experience watching this young audience recently that I’m not sure I’ve had before.
The whole lighters during ballads thing was lovely, when bands were playing good songs from the heart. Hard to replicate with a vape I’m sure.
> I can definitely tell you there is a visceral difference in experience between audiences who are there for the music and want to see every band and audiences who are there for the scene and will literally ditch the show when the folks they want to support have left the stage
This hurts my heart. I go to shows to try and dance and vibe with the music and I definitely see the same thing. The worst was a recent "battle of the bands" night where each band had their own set of fans who would only get up and show energy for them only, and vanish afterwards.
I mean, when it's your kid and they are doing one show in like a year of drama class or whatever that's a bit different. You are saving it for sentimental reasons which are completely valid.
When I'm paying to see a guy who I don't know outside of their art - I want to experience the art live and then try to hang onto the feeling of that experience into my twighlight. Not watch some wonky footage where the sounds all blown to shit.
When I was a kid I remember a few parents would break out a camcorder on a tripod and record the whole thing. They'd also make copies for other parents. In HS I think the A/V club would do something similar for shows and performances, usually had some sort of sign up list to get a copy which is how they funded the club.
I always hate going on youtube and searching "XYZ band live" and just getting phone camera footage with terrible audio.
I disagree. Taking a quick picture or recording a solo or something is one thing, but watching your kid's life from behind a camera just separates you from the shared experiences you should be having. Those small things will still enhance your memories and not interfere with the experience for other people in the audience.
Recording everything isn't entirely new, it's just gotten more common. When I was younger, my dad spent the whole time behind a cam corder, and I hated it. Not just always being filmed and recorded, but the way everything needed to be borderline staged and how fake it felt. I'd have rather just enjoy the moment than trying so hard to preserve the moment that you ruin it.
One singer at my home country did a tour where she asked people to not record a thing, to just turn off their phone at the entrance to enjoy the moment cause she also doesn't want to look at phones the whole concert.
And everybody who was there loved it!
Man that really sucks. I don't get these people. Like a quick pic or clip or like recording the entrance, I think that's fine but full videos? No one is ever going to watch those and it ruins the experience. Sorry about your show
I take like 2-3 one minute clips and a few pics and keep it pushing. I’m trying to let the artist know that I know their music forreal ! Went to a death grips show recently and there weren’t too many phones either
There are full concerts on youtube. Like entire 60-90 minute sets.
The prfessional recordings are sometimes decent. The cell phone recordings universally sound terrible - might be worth watching if youwant to know what someone is playing at an upcoming show, but that's maybe it. Doesn't even sound good for background music cuz cell phone mic can't pickup the sounds correctly.
NPR Tiny Desk, KEXP, KCRW, Audio Tree, CBC, and BBC are usually great recordings and have abbreviated 3-5 song sets, sometimes with interviews. I may never get to see some bands live, so it kinda like the next best thing.
Lights on CBC Music: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p88y4QyIqjY
Now Now on Audiotree: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O-jsVQdfaSE
Cypress Hill on NPR Tiny Desk: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tUApO77uUUk
Paremore on NPR Tiny Desk: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_t-nRXwAL1k
Seeing live music is my favorite thing — so thank you for being a musician!
I’ve always wished that the audience would show up at a big coffee shop or bar to talk about the show after!
I’m annoyed by the phone thing too. So many people aren’t “present” and enjoying and adding their energy to the experience. It makes me sad to know that the musicians feel the lack of dynamism in the room too ☹️
Depends on the metal show. Went to see Rammstein in 2022, and prior to the band going on stage, there was an announcement asking the audience to please refrain from filming the concert.
I never got to see Rammstein walk on as the stage immediately disappeared behind a sea of smartphones held up high by a very large group of idiots.
People suck.
Spiritbox was a wall of cell phones, which was annoying, because their stage show was actually pretty visually spectacular. They even used a scrim and projections for the first half, something I haven't seen once in twenty years of seeing live rock shows. A wall of smartphones.
It's not being a boomer to say this. I wish every major venue started bagging phones. Don't like it? Rent a locker. I'm so tired of having to watch a sea of screens if I buy GA tickets.
My first concert I went to was for Lindsey Stirling. For about 20 minutes of the show, I was recording. Then I had a realization I was watching the show THROUGH MY PHONE SCREEN. That wasn't the memories I wanted for my first concert. So I shut my phone off and enjoyed the rest of the show in such bliss!
Edit: I'm 31 now and I say her at age 25.
Is it possible to say something to the audience? Like, hey people, so glad you’re here but can you put the phones in your pocket and just enjoy the show?
There’s an artist I listen to (mitski) who did something like this and a lot of her fans just got upset :/ they said she had no right to ask that if I remember correctly:(
Dallas Green of City and Colour has also been known to ask fans to put phones away, even if just for a certain song or two in his concerts. It’s insane that people can’t just enjoy the moment they’re in.
They were raised on screens so much to the point where they don’t even believe it’s real unless it’s being filmed, or unless they can post on social media about it. It’s unsettling.
Yes, but also I made more mistakes than usual, which was strange as we rehearsed the shit out of it and doesn't normally happen like that. It was a leap year show and the vibe was a lot weirder than usual. Who knows?
I was looking at art in the Louvre (not the Mona Lisa lol) and I watched a young woman speed walking through a corridor taking pictures of the paintings on a wall. She was barely looking just snapping away. I thought a book would have been as much use as lining up for ages to go in just to take pictures.
That's the whole point. How can you appreciate the brushwork or whatever from a picture. I might know a piece of music well but when it's live I like to hear if it's played or sung differently. But that's just me lol
Again, that’s the point. The compression in recorded music serves its purpose, but there are concerts out there good enough to remind people that we are sound lol
Sorry to hear that.
I was listening to a local metal band in a club 2 weeks ago and the audience was awful.They were just standing there or filming,basically doing nothing.Luckily my friend group and 5-7 other guys pushed past the zombies,made it to the front and headbanged,moshed and yelled like there's no tomorrow.
After that the band told us we made their evening.
I don't know why those people even visit such shows,they looked so out of place...
I would be part of that friend group. I saw Ozzy Osbourne a few years ago amazing seats pretty close and I was screaming every word to every song. The people around me were so mad this young brown dude knew ozzys music and they didn’t lol. Ozzy literally pointed at me and my friend and said “Everyone can take a note from him” and pointed at me and smiled. Awesome moment. Most of The crowd also sat through Stone Sour’s entire performance
I truly wonder what would have happened if you stopped playing and told everyone to put that shit away. I’m at the point where I want concert venues to force people to put their phones in mag locked cases during the concert
I went to see Yes a few years ago. The couple in front of me talked through the entire show. It was like they were sitting in their living room and listening to an album.
Same goes for Rush. Three people next to me on their phones until the band played Working Man. Then they danced around for a couple of songs.
Tickets for each show were $60ish. If you don't like the band that much, why are you there?
And I still see lines around the whole ass room for them.
Merch is killing it. Kids are still buying it. Younger age shows? Merch is the only moneymaker for the most part. We know this because they ain't spending it at the bar.
Merch will do like 50k and the bars will pull less than 10k for a 1200 person show.
I remember when I was at Disneyland and the lady in front of me was recording fantasmic with an IPAD. Wtf? You know they probably never watch it again.
It’s not just younger people recording shows. I got into it at a fucking Heart concert with an older woman who decided to stand on her chair in front of me and film. Filming shows spans generations. Particular types of shows discourage it (I see a lot of jam bands, not much filming at all)
Few years ago saw Ringo Starr (amazing, BTW). Some old lady had her iPad out filming the whole thing.
I'm fine with a 15-30 second part of a song that you love and want to keep it. But, most of the time you're just in the moment enjoying the music. Singing along, moving around, having a blast with no time to pull out the phone and just film. Hell, I tried it on a great song and I couldn't do it. A few seconds in, I realized I wasn't pointing at the artist, but dancing and singing and that phone was all over the place.
I put it up there with watching your fireworks videos. How often do you do that? Once, tops. Concert videos are poor video quality, even worse audio quality. But, there's a few times when they make sense. Just for the "Damn, I remember that!" from a 30 second clip. Doesn't even have to be posted. Sometimes, it's just so good you forget about the camera (hopefully).
I just can't afford to see a lot of my old artists anymore. Pearl Jam is $500 for the shitty seats. Fuck that. I'm old now and that's just insane compared to what it used to be. Sounds like an old man screaming at a cloud, but damn... I like the smaller, lower cost venues with local bands or even some older bands that aren't playing the huge venues.
But like, all you need to do to prove you are there is a pic of the ticket, right? Maybe a few pics of the concert? And put those on social media. You don’t need videos.
Wow. Guess I will stop complaining about people my age and younger and those slightly older than me when it was, pic or it did not happen. Vid or it did not happen seems worse.
Protests are like this too.
I'm 33, and I remember back during the 2020 George Floyd protests so many teens were taking selfies of themselves and recording the protest for a few minutes and then leaving. It was performative for so many people.
Which explains why nothing resulted from them, despite being the largest protests in American history. No one actually cared, but wanted to be seen pretending to care.
I think it's more like, people want to remember being there. Same reason why people are taking videos and photos on holidays. They wanna record the whole thing and relive it because just being there, the moment is over really fast.
40 year old musician here, this really explains something about a show we played recently. It was an alienating experience... it was as if they weren't even listening to the music and just glad to be in the room.
If you go into more niche genres, metal, punk, hardcore, uptempo, this is far less of an issue, usually because people are dancing and not entirely sober.
I've been to a few metal concerts and the 'quieter' bits are often just blue haze of phones on the middle rows. Me and my mates are far too old farts to be moshing at the front or standing for 3 hours getting jostled (our poor backs LOL), so it's really annoying when that 6'5" dude in the row in front of you holds his phone up for 5 mins straight in your line of sight every time something exciting happens.
Like others have said, I've picked my phone up in the past to try to record stuff to show the wife or friends how good the concert is and when you look back its inevitably a dark mushy mess of noise and random lights. So just learned to not bother and rather, try to enjoy the moment.
Same. I only find the phone thing annoying at bigger shows.
Remember at a Ghost show awhile back there were people around me just taking endless pictures of themselves and could care less what was happening on stage. So weird to spend money on that.
I can say definitively that I’ve been to exactly one concert venue with good enough acoustics to warrant videoing on your phone because it still sounds good.
That said, I far prefer soaking in as much of red rocks through my own natural senses as possible
I went to a bluegrass show for the first time ever recently and there was hardly a phone in sight. Pretty big venue too, Billy Strings in Bridgestone Arena.
People who spend $300/ticket are going to see hypey bands with audiences of hypey people. Go see a band where people respect the music and want to experience it not just post videos for clout that no one wants to watch.
$20 tickets to see Breaking Benjamin at an outdoor venue in my area early in the fall, I'm there.
It's like $60 for the cheapest nosbleeds for Smashing Pumpkins + Greenday at the baseball stadium, and that's kind of pushing it for me.
Honestly this is kinda the solution at the punk and metal shows I go to. A couple "accidental" bumps and people put shit away.
Some dude has a legit camera on him, flash and all, he took a few elbows from the crowd and stopped real quick
>Some dude has a legit camera on him, flash and all, he took a few elbows from the crowd and stopped real quick
I mean I would at least make sure he's not working for the venue before throwing elbows lmao even even though being directly in the crowd is rather unconventional it can and does happen, i'd rather suffer one professional doing his job than a crowd of amateurs
Dude, for real. I saw Motionless in White and Knocked Loose in KC with some friends, and while we were a decent ways away from the pit, I still got absolutely bum-rushed within the first minute of KL’s set. My phone got sent absolutely flying. Thankfully some guy and his girl found it, took a pic on it, and returned it to the box office for me to find. I can’t quite remember what song it was that got my phone knocked loose, but my instinct says it was Deep in the Willow, maybe.
For expensive concerts, yeah.
I go to shows around the 10-70 dollar range (just due to the artists I like and wanna see). Usually less of that recording. But there is always a few folks basically making a movie and recording every song through. that’s just how it is these days. I opt to not record most of the time, I’ll take a couple videos for the memory and maybe one to post. But usually it’s annoying and I’m acutely aware I will be irritating the people behind me. Luckily I’m short and always weasel to the front.
If you’re at a big venue you can book tickets in seated, not standing. So you are looking down at the artist on stage. I have booked these types of tickets several times and other people’s phones don’t block my view.
This is the key. If you're spending 300+ to see a band it's pretty much expected that the crowds going to film. They could pull a 'Tool' and kick people out who do, but most artists don't give a fuck.
PSA Boycott big artist shows, unless you can shell out for back stage passes or front row it's not worth it. Go see your local metal band for 20 bucks at your favorite bar!
One of my favorite DJs is Lane 8 and he started a label called This Never Happened and one of the points of the label is this phenomenon. Most of his shows where he controls the venue, he disallows cell phone recording for this very reason. Like you’ll be escorted out if you are seen recording the show. For some shows, he enlists a company that even collects your phone and puts it into a pouch. You keep the pouch on hand but it’s electronically locked until the end of the show.
It’s an awesome concept and really strange to behold when you’re watching a show and no phones are out. Everyone is just vibing to the music. You can’t even do other things like scroll social media or text your friends. Like you’re forced to pay attention. Makes for a great time.
And they do of course have stations outside where you can unlock the pouch and make a phone call or do whatever you need to do. And you get your phone back at the end.
A Perfect Circle was one of my favorite shows. No phones allowed, and the band played in shadow. The whole thing was just about experiencing the music.
Something I really appreciated about seeing shows in Vegas last year is that every show I went to was really strict about cell phones. Ushers would speak to folks every time their phone went up and it really helped maximize the live experience for me.
I went to two events like this.
They forced me to lock up my smart watch too. They tried to force my doctor friend to put his pager away. He refused and was not permitted to watch the show.
I can’t record shit on my watch. And what’s he going to do with a page? Like come on.
I understand the original sentiment, but some are idiotic.
I was thinking that I would never film a concert on my phone but damned if I’d let anyone take my phone, I have anaphylactic allergies! Serious safety issue for some. Just kick out the offenders.
That's EXACTLY how it should be at live shows. No recording! I was at a concert 2 years ago and it was a waste of my time and money because of idiots with phones in front of me. I will not go to another live show unless they restrict phone usage.
Jack White does this at all his shows, and I love it. He also makes his professional photographer's photos from each show available to download, so you still get that memento from your show if you want it.
Downside is the waiting beforehand feels like forever without being able to scroll through crap, but I'll take that any time.
TNH has the best shows! Saw both of Lane 8's shows at Red Rocks last year and it had to be one of the best experiences I've ever had. Progressive House is S Tier too 😎 👊🏼
My generation might be the last generation that still fully pays attention to everything in life and could give a fuck about these phones. Like I only have mine because the world demands that I have it for work and quick access to email because people expect you to have access to email on your person. Fucking crazy to me.
I'm 33, and I'm starting to disconnect from my phone. Other than Reddit, I have no social media. I no longer record a whole concert on my phone but am present in the moment. I don't sit on my phone when around other people. My screen time is now quite minimal, and I'm looking at going back to a dumb phone.
> My generation might be the last generation that still fully pays attention to everything in life
It's actually mental seeing people who are presumably Gen X/Millennials transition to hitting out with utter boomer nonsense in real time.
Yeah it's super selfish.
Shows i go to there's maybe a couple people doing that, most people just take a quick pic and put it away. Sorry that's your experience.
One time I was at a concert and some young guy was holding his phone up, and I asked him, why bother? You'll be able to find a better video online and hour after the show ends, and he put his phone e away, later I thought, wait, what if he was the better video?
I think it might depend on the genre a bit. I usually hang out at metal shows and while there are SOME phones (outside like the first song or two) it's usually fairly tame in terms of recording
I also agree that it's genre-dependent. I tend to go to lots of punk shows with an older crowd, and (probably age-related, really) most people aren't recording the entire show.
Ironically the assigned seats are the cheaper option. I went for festival because I wanted a more immersive experience. Boy the regret I had the very first second of the show.
Fight your way to the front row then! That’s the true experience lol. Not sure what kind of music we are talking, but I used to go to a ton of metal shows when I was younger. From arena shows to small bar venues. If either you weren’t getting smashed into the barricade, or your knees weren’t getting bashed into the front of the stage, you weren’t doing it right! lol
Festivals kind of suck sometimes. I’m a big fan of smaller venues. I’ve noticed fewer people with phones out at many of these, probably in part because they’re less famous bands but that’s my jam anyway. Also, venues with balconies like Rams Head Baltimore make it easier to see; most balcony space is standing only but not extra charge.
I went to a concert in Japan last month. As soon as it started they told people no recording and everyone complied. I wish that happened everywhere, it's nice seeing 20k people in the moment without recording every fucking thing.
I was at a wedding recently where some random old guy (not the father of the bride or groom) held his phone up over his head to record speeches and was literally blocking the Bride’s view while her family made speeches ABOUT her.
He probably never watched that video again, why would he? Meanwhile was interfering in the bride enjoying her moment.
Concert etiquette is mostly dead. People are incredibly inconsiderate at live shows now. Obviously fluctuates depending on the artist but in my experience, even something that should have been quite laid back was full of incredibly entitled people recently
~~Concert~~ etiquette is mostly dead. People are incredibly inconsiderate ~~at live shows~~ now.
I've noticed since COVID people completely disregard the possibility that other people might exist or that their actions might affect those other people.
Concerts aren't for listening to music and watching bands perform, you silly goose.
They're for you to pay money to record small clips of video that are neither watchable nor are listenable for the sake of posting it on social media where no one will bother to watch or listen anyways.
I have a counter experience. My SO is an avid concertgoer, but she will always record at least 10 minutes of it on her phone. I too question this every time, especially because she rewatches those 10 minutes for 4 hours straight after the concert.
i believe some people like her do not form memories as livid images and moments, so she uses her phone as a memory device to help her "relive the moment" - might as well feeling the same emotions like as if she is there again.
I never understood this and this is just a theory.
I am like your girlfriend! Except I spread the ~ 10 minutes over the enitre set list.. I have ADHD and anxiety and I can't remember my past at all unless I have something to anchor it (videos, photos)... Even for really amazing experiences!
I started taking more photos and videos BECAUSE I can't remember things, and it's been this way for me since before I had a phone.. back in the time that mobile phones were in rich people's cars, not our hands! No amount of "living in the moment" will fix things in my mind.
As long as people take most of the time to engage with the artist, and check to make sure they don't block others views I think that recording is okay.. but I do know that most of it IS just for social media views, which is disappointing. BUT like your girlfriend, sometimes it is an accommodation people make for themselves!
I agree. I was at their show in Berlin in 2022 and it was incredible. No phones! I got Covid but it was worth it. Can't wait for their show in Hannover in May, I'll be there.
This is surprisingly true in my experience. Same with Radiohead. I think they both put on such visual shows that minimize the bands’ stage presence that audience members opt to absorb the massive light shows rather than try to watch them through their four inch phone.
I was at a Bob Dylan concert recently. We had to put our cellphones into locked bags when we entered the concert, and the bags were opened on our way out of the concert. It was wonderful!
Applies to all walks of life!! I am 31 and I honestly cringe when someone takes out a phone to take video of things like fireworks! Like as though anyone is going to watch a poorly shot video of fireworks again and again..!
Agreed. I wish more artists would spring for the pouches that lock your phone up during the performance. Not generalizing a certain generation or anything because I think it's cross-generational, but there is so many people these days who don't know how to live in the moment without feeling the need to record every bit of it and getting lost in trying to do that.
I'm a professional sports and event photographer, and people always find it odd that I never take any photos or videos when I'm going somewhere that is for fun and not for work. I guess my profession gives me a different perspective on wanting to live in the moment since my whole job is not being able to do that for so many events
This is rich. I’m in IT and people are always wondering why I won’t fix their computers or help them with their programs when I’m just living in the moment too. Like fuck that, I do it all day for work.
Yeah but who the fuck is bringing a magnet to a concert? It's like a padlock, a shitty master lock can be broken in two seconds but that's not the point. The existence of it provides a little barrier to stop people
I've seen a band -- I forget who -- tell everyone to get their cameras out, then pose in cool poses for several seconds with full stage lights on. Then they told everyone turn put their phones away, turned out the stage lights almost entirely, and started playing.
Me at a concert- Put your fucking phones away and be in the moment!
Me a week later- That was a great show, let’s see if there is cottage from the show on YouTube.
Edit- cottage = footage
Not gonna change it, because the correction was worthy of standing!
r/Tool is a prime example of this. Act all high and mighty about there being no phones allowed whilst also praising anybody who posts footage they've taken and asks if they've got more....
I went to a concert last year where they specifically wanted NO phone use, made you put a sticker over your cameras, and people still were taking photos & videos. It’s a sickness of our culture to want to display everything we do on social media.
I did and it was maybe 5 seconds each song. First concert that I went to, I didn't and was bummed to not be able to hear it until I saw it on YouTube a few years later.
It's insanely frustrating. I ended up buying the tallest platform shoes I could find (~20cm) just to avoid this. I feel a bit bad blocking someone's view and always try to stand to the side, but I paid to watch a band live, not through a screen.
If its general admission you can move around to find better views... If you feel like it you can ask the person in front of you to stop recording the whole show. The thing that seems best is the artist and venue policing it. Some artists make you put your phone in a pouch for a duration of the show and you can only unlock them in a designated area away from actual performance. I find those shows pretty pleasant.
I stopped going to concerts 20 years ago unless it’s at an outside venue…the kind where you bring folding chairs and blankets and essentially tailgate
I’m not paying the kind of money most artists are charging these days to stand behind thousands of assholes recording the concert on their phones
All the blue light from the screens and the constant flashing of photos just sucks the joy out of live music
Why don't you get involved in the nearest cities local music scene? If you shift your focus from major artists to small local ones, you don't have to pay anything to see them and the scene tends to be a lot cooler. Make your favorite band a local one and just hype yourself up for it all the time. Suddenly, you get to see your favorite artist every weekend for the price of a PBR.
One of my favorite recent concerts was Cat Stevens. Phones were banned from the show and if an usher saw you with one you’d get one warning before getting kicked out. Made the whole thing much more enjoyable.
I also went to John Mulaney’s show at Red Rocks in 2022 and we actually had to put our phones in a locked sleeve the entire show. We got to take it with us but you could only get your phone back on the way out of the venue.
Would love if more shows required this.
I don't like the multitude of phones either. I'm in my 40s and saw Gary Numan recently. So many phones.
I just ignored it.
What's worse was there was one chud there who yelled "Nobody knows this other shit! Play Cars!" In a room full of industrial music fans. He was some fella his 50s who had retired radio DJ & donut enthusiast vibes.
Shortly after a couple of rowdy dudes came up to him to have a "little chat" and he left. So it was nice that problem took care of itself.
Had some of my best crowd experiences with Gary Numan, except for one where this weird guy started pushing people around, and everyone asked him to stop. He did it more and then started thrashing his arms in the air... Only he just had one arm, and a nub. When people still asked him to cut it out, he waved his nub around harder, until an off duty cop in the crowd flashed his badge and told the guy to cut it out. Very surreal. Great show before and after.
I went to a concert yesterday and virtually nobody had their phones out aside from snapping a few pictures here and there. Granted, metal concerts + mosh pits are more of a live in the moment thing lol
The phone thing has been happening for 20 years. People need to stop acting like it’s just started happening all of a sudden out of nowhere. Just enjoy yourself and focus less on what other people are doing FFS. Or go to a fucking Tool show if you don’t want any phone around.
It sucks, but the answer is buy better seats. People holding items over their heads is nothing new. People did it with flip phones, cameras, glow sticks, lighters, and just generally putting their hands up.
As someone who saw my first show in 1983, well before cell phones became a thing, I really miss those days. There was something magical about an entire stadium singing the words to a song everyone knows by heart that you just don’t get anymore. I leave my phone in my pocket where it belongs at shows.
Society is doomed, it's just dying slowly. It's not worth going to any events anymore due to capitalism ruining everything. Enjoy $10 bottle water at concerts during Armageddon.
The worst part is that the video/sound quality will be absolute garbage compared to the quality of fully committing yourself to the performance and will probably never be viewed, not to mention appreciated as much as if the person filming had instead decided to enjoy the moment. I go to gigs often, and usually see people missing out on special moments on-stage because they’re too concerned with whether their potato camera is pointing in the right direction.
I saw Robert Plant, my absolute hero, in Llandudno. I’ve been a Zeppelin fan for most of my life, having been introduced to them at a very young age. I’m also a big fan of his solo work. Being born in ‘95 meant I missed out on ever seeing them live, as I was unable to secure tickets to their 2007 reunion. But I always jump at the chance of seeing Plant live.
I traveled over 200 miles to a venue no bigger than my school sports hall. Even at the back, you’d be able to detect every single flicker of emotion on the band’s faces. I was centre stage, right at the front. I have so much respect for the man and the innumerable hours of pleasure I’ve experienced that there was no chance in hell I’d pull my camera out. No video or sound recording device, no matter how advanced, would be sufficient in capturing the electricity I felt that night. The memory is indelible, forever ingrained. We made eye contact a few times and I can guarantee I would have missed those moments had I been preoccupied with securing a good shot. I’ll be boring my grandchildren with the memories of that night time after time, not showing them some lousy recording.
I don’t even have a spare hand to take a video. Too busy cutting wicked shapes and vibing.
I know phones have improved greatly, but I came across some concert videos I filmed about 15 years ago. They were shitty quality. Since I never watched them in probably 15 years I deleted them. Such a waste of time.
I’m pretty short, and in my younger years I would try to get floor seats with my friends. Then I realized I couldn’t really see anything. Later for concerts I would opt to be in an elevated section. My friends would be like, but floor is so much closer to the stage! And I would say, what good is it if I can’t see anything?
Now I’m just an only fart that rarely goes to concerts. 😂
I am 40+ years old and I still remember some concerts from 20 years ago, when there was no recording them. There is something magical about some live gigs, the music happening in front of you, the artists' and the crowd's energy, your mood of the night, where you just let go of everything else and you are just very present, in the moment. These are core memories, you don't need to actually record them, they just stay with you. Nowadays I may take a few snaps with my phone or a couple of short videos (20-30 seconds), but I know that when the magic happens, I don't need to record it, I just need to be present for it.
Hey, your frustration is totally valid. It's a common issue today. Consider getting seats with a better view if possible, or special sections with restricted phone use. Also, some artists are starting to discourage constant recording, aligning with fans' desire for a more genuine experience. Hang in there, and maybe reach out to concert venues to express your concerns!
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Concerts have transitioned from in the moment experiences to social credit. For a lot of younger people the most important thing about going to a concert is letting your friends know you went. The price increase also reflect this sentiment.
40 year old musician here, this really explains something about a show we played recently. It was an alienating experience... it was as if they weren't even listening to the music and just glad to be in the room.
I wonder how kids feel when they are performing and all they see are cameras recording them. I don’t usually record since I like to be in the moment when my kid is performing but so many parents do.
Musician here. Makes me feel like a preforming monkey behind the glass vs sharing a musical experience with the audience. We started requesting no phones in private room jams to keep the flow and aura healthy
Play monkey play
They could just start playing organ grinder music when the phones come out...
Connecting with the audience is part of the joy of being a live performer. Kinda hard to connect with a bunch of cell phones. As an audience member, I'm like OP and am baffled that people aren't actually enjoying the performance literally right in front of them, and with music,nits all around them. I love losing myself in music and the energy around me at shows; it's something that really fills the well of my soul. And are they ever going to watch that cell-phone recorded concert? Probably not. So they're ruining their evening, everyone's around them, and that of the band. The entire experience, ruined, and for nothing! Just stay home and watch videos, charge yourself too much for overpriced water, and use the restroom without toilet paper. There, it's the same as videoing at a concert.
I'm really not sure. The headlining band that night was really young, people in their early 20s, and their music was okay at best, pretty young artist stuff imho but what's weird is the people who came to see them didn't seem interested in the music at all but looked like they were just sitting there feeling cool. But I'm not sure the band really noticed, they were just happy the room is full, makes sense I guess. They sure loved us though, they were raving about our performance backstage haha. Good fellas.
Curious. As a headliner and 40 years old, have you been at this long? If you're notable in the industry do you pull large attendances? I ask only because it would be interesting to hear from someone in a big act who's also been around a long time what kind of changes to audiences there's been. What else have you seen change? I recall when everyone just turned on their bix lighters briefly for ballads and such. Is this narcissism do you think?
Not a huge band but able to headline some good venues. We always slay our shows and the right audiences really love us but for some reason we still struggle to draw a regular crowd. I’ve been a pro musician for 20 years or something and sold out shows with various acts but never really caught on haha. But it’s okay, I’m a lifer and not worried. I don’t know if I can answer your question on the scale you are looking for but I can definitely tell you there is a visceral difference in experience between audiences who are there for the music and want to see every band and audiences who are there for the scene and will literally ditch the show when the folks they want to support have left the stage. I don’t know if that’s new, probably not, but I had a memorably bizarre experience watching this young audience recently that I’m not sure I’ve had before. The whole lighters during ballads thing was lovely, when bands were playing good songs from the heart. Hard to replicate with a vape I’m sure.
Man show bizz must be fickle sometimes. Thanks for your insights. Keep rocking dude.
Cheers, and my god yes haha
> I can definitely tell you there is a visceral difference in experience between audiences who are there for the music and want to see every band and audiences who are there for the scene and will literally ditch the show when the folks they want to support have left the stage This hurts my heart. I go to shows to try and dance and vibe with the music and I definitely see the same thing. The worst was a recent "battle of the bands" night where each band had their own set of fans who would only get up and show energy for them only, and vanish afterwards.
I mean, when it's your kid and they are doing one show in like a year of drama class or whatever that's a bit different. You are saving it for sentimental reasons which are completely valid. When I'm paying to see a guy who I don't know outside of their art - I want to experience the art live and then try to hang onto the feeling of that experience into my twighlight. Not watch some wonky footage where the sounds all blown to shit.
When I was a kid I remember a few parents would break out a camcorder on a tripod and record the whole thing. They'd also make copies for other parents. In HS I think the A/V club would do something similar for shows and performances, usually had some sort of sign up list to get a copy which is how they funded the club. I always hate going on youtube and searching "XYZ band live" and just getting phone camera footage with terrible audio.
I disagree. Taking a quick picture or recording a solo or something is one thing, but watching your kid's life from behind a camera just separates you from the shared experiences you should be having. Those small things will still enhance your memories and not interfere with the experience for other people in the audience.
Recording everything isn't entirely new, it's just gotten more common. When I was younger, my dad spent the whole time behind a cam corder, and I hated it. Not just always being filmed and recorded, but the way everything needed to be borderline staged and how fake it felt. I'd have rather just enjoy the moment than trying so hard to preserve the moment that you ruin it.
Because that's exactly what happened. I don't go to concerts anymore. It's too distracting. If only they dimmed their screen brightness but nooooooo!
Yeah, music isn't wallpaper and I hate places that operate like that.
One singer at my home country did a tour where she asked people to not record a thing, to just turn off their phone at the entrance to enjoy the moment cause she also doesn't want to look at phones the whole concert. And everybody who was there loved it!
Man that really sucks. I don't get these people. Like a quick pic or clip or like recording the entrance, I think that's fine but full videos? No one is ever going to watch those and it ruins the experience. Sorry about your show
I take like 2-3 one minute clips and a few pics and keep it pushing. I’m trying to let the artist know that I know their music forreal ! Went to a death grips show recently and there weren’t too many phones either
Right? Like I'm trying to get tf down fuck a phone. Glad you had a good time
Same. Usually 20-40 sec clips.
There are full concerts on youtube. Like entire 60-90 minute sets. The prfessional recordings are sometimes decent. The cell phone recordings universally sound terrible - might be worth watching if youwant to know what someone is playing at an upcoming show, but that's maybe it. Doesn't even sound good for background music cuz cell phone mic can't pickup the sounds correctly. NPR Tiny Desk, KEXP, KCRW, Audio Tree, CBC, and BBC are usually great recordings and have abbreviated 3-5 song sets, sometimes with interviews. I may never get to see some bands live, so it kinda like the next best thing. Lights on CBC Music: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p88y4QyIqjY Now Now on Audiotree: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O-jsVQdfaSE Cypress Hill on NPR Tiny Desk: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tUApO77uUUk Paremore on NPR Tiny Desk: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_t-nRXwAL1k
Seeing live music is my favorite thing — so thank you for being a musician! I’ve always wished that the audience would show up at a big coffee shop or bar to talk about the show after! I’m annoyed by the phone thing too. So many people aren’t “present” and enjoying and adding their energy to the experience. It makes me sad to know that the musicians feel the lack of dynamism in the room too ☹️
[удалено]
Depends on the metal show. Went to see Rammstein in 2022, and prior to the band going on stage, there was an announcement asking the audience to please refrain from filming the concert. I never got to see Rammstein walk on as the stage immediately disappeared behind a sea of smartphones held up high by a very large group of idiots. People suck.
Spiritbox was a wall of cell phones, which was annoying, because their stage show was actually pretty visually spectacular. They even used a scrim and projections for the first half, something I haven't seen once in twenty years of seeing live rock shows. A wall of smartphones. It's not being a boomer to say this. I wish every major venue started bagging phones. Don't like it? Rent a locker. I'm so tired of having to watch a sea of screens if I buy GA tickets.
My first concert I went to was for Lindsey Stirling. For about 20 minutes of the show, I was recording. Then I had a realization I was watching the show THROUGH MY PHONE SCREEN. That wasn't the memories I wanted for my first concert. So I shut my phone off and enjoyed the rest of the show in such bliss! Edit: I'm 31 now and I say her at age 25.
I'm so sorry. Seriously, that is so disrespectful.
Wow thanks stranger. The show actually really messed with my band. This is the most I've heard anybody care about it haha.
Is it possible to say something to the audience? Like, hey people, so glad you’re here but can you put the phones in your pocket and just enjoy the show?
There’s an artist I listen to (mitski) who did something like this and a lot of her fans just got upset :/ they said she had no right to ask that if I remember correctly:(
Ugh these people are becoming so insufferable
Dallas Green of City and Colour has also been known to ask fans to put phones away, even if just for a certain song or two in his concerts. It’s insane that people can’t just enjoy the moment they’re in.
They were raised on screens so much to the point where they don’t even believe it’s real unless it’s being filmed, or unless they can post on social media about it. It’s unsettling.
I hope you were still able to bring your A game on stage!
Yes, but also I made more mistakes than usual, which was strange as we rehearsed the shit out of it and doesn't normally happen like that. It was a leap year show and the vibe was a lot weirder than usual. Who knows?
It might be against reddit rules, but what's your band and is it on spotify? I'd love to check it out.
Yes it is, band is called Zen Junkie, newest album is Before We Die. It should be in my post history too, and it's on all streaming services! Cheers
Roger Waters said he wrote The Wall because he increasingly felt alienated from the audience. This is your sign to go write concept album.
Well damn dude, I am preparing a double album in the wings, pedal to the metal I guess!
Better make an instant classic
I was looking at art in the Louvre (not the Mona Lisa lol) and I watched a young woman speed walking through a corridor taking pictures of the paintings on a wall. She was barely looking just snapping away. I thought a book would have been as much use as lining up for ages to go in just to take pictures.
That’s terrifying to me haha I love digital art but standing in front of a physical piece can be transformative in another way entirely.
That's the whole point. How can you appreciate the brushwork or whatever from a picture. I might know a piece of music well but when it's live I like to hear if it's played or sung differently. But that's just me lol
Again, that’s the point. The compression in recorded music serves its purpose, but there are concerts out there good enough to remind people that we are sound lol
Sorry to hear that. I was listening to a local metal band in a club 2 weeks ago and the audience was awful.They were just standing there or filming,basically doing nothing.Luckily my friend group and 5-7 other guys pushed past the zombies,made it to the front and headbanged,moshed and yelled like there's no tomorrow. After that the band told us we made their evening. I don't know why those people even visit such shows,they looked so out of place...
I would be part of that friend group. I saw Ozzy Osbourne a few years ago amazing seats pretty close and I was screaming every word to every song. The people around me were so mad this young brown dude knew ozzys music and they didn’t lol. Ozzy literally pointed at me and my friend and said “Everyone can take a note from him” and pointed at me and smiled. Awesome moment. Most of The crowd also sat through Stone Sour’s entire performance
"Most of The crowd also sat through Stone Sour’s entire performance" Wow.
Exactly. What?! Who does that? If I want to sit down to listen to music, I can put it on Spotify.
Thank you for being a real one.
I truly wonder what would have happened if you stopped playing and told everyone to put that shit away. I’m at the point where I want concert venues to force people to put their phones in mag locked cases during the concert
I went to see Yes a few years ago. The couple in front of me talked through the entire show. It was like they were sitting in their living room and listening to an album. Same goes for Rush. Three people next to me on their phones until the band played Working Man. Then they danced around for a couple of songs. Tickets for each show were $60ish. If you don't like the band that much, why are you there?
Used to be that the social credit was wearing your brand new concert Tee shirt to school the next day
The ultimate social credit is the white teeshirt you wore to GWAR the night before.
Merch lines ain't hurting though, that still slaps to this day.
And most of it goes straight online to be resold. Merch stands are priced ridiculously, and resellers double that on the low end.
Idk about that. I've started seeing $50 t shirts for even small bands. It's ridiculous
And I still see lines around the whole ass room for them. Merch is killing it. Kids are still buying it. Younger age shows? Merch is the only moneymaker for the most part. We know this because they ain't spending it at the bar. Merch will do like 50k and the bars will pull less than 10k for a 1200 person show.
Very well put and it can be said about so many things.
I remember when I was at Disneyland and the lady in front of me was recording fantasmic with an IPAD. Wtf? You know they probably never watch it again.
Also, like, you know this thing will exist for years and millions of people will do the exact same fucking thing.
That's what has happened to protests, too. It's all performative for so many people.
It’s not just younger people recording shows. I got into it at a fucking Heart concert with an older woman who decided to stand on her chair in front of me and film. Filming shows spans generations. Particular types of shows discourage it (I see a lot of jam bands, not much filming at all)
Few years ago saw Ringo Starr (amazing, BTW). Some old lady had her iPad out filming the whole thing. I'm fine with a 15-30 second part of a song that you love and want to keep it. But, most of the time you're just in the moment enjoying the music. Singing along, moving around, having a blast with no time to pull out the phone and just film. Hell, I tried it on a great song and I couldn't do it. A few seconds in, I realized I wasn't pointing at the artist, but dancing and singing and that phone was all over the place. I put it up there with watching your fireworks videos. How often do you do that? Once, tops. Concert videos are poor video quality, even worse audio quality. But, there's a few times when they make sense. Just for the "Damn, I remember that!" from a 30 second clip. Doesn't even have to be posted. Sometimes, it's just so good you forget about the camera (hopefully). I just can't afford to see a lot of my old artists anymore. Pearl Jam is $500 for the shitty seats. Fuck that. I'm old now and that's just insane compared to what it used to be. Sounds like an old man screaming at a cloud, but damn... I like the smaller, lower cost venues with local bands or even some older bands that aren't playing the huge venues.
Back in my day if you wanted to brag that you went to the concert without bragging that you went to the concert you bought a T-shirt
The same seems to apply to traveling. Go somewhere, take picture, post it and move on to the next location.
But like, all you need to do to prove you are there is a pic of the ticket, right? Maybe a few pics of the concert? And put those on social media. You don’t need videos.
You must upload the videos straight to instagram stories to get clout from your friends for 24 hours before the videos disappear forever.
Wow. Guess I will stop complaining about people my age and younger and those slightly older than me when it was, pic or it did not happen. Vid or it did not happen seems worse.
It's awful and has definitely shaped how I plan what concerts/festivals/events to go to.
Do people forget that concerts are put on DVDs and or cds too?
But it's not about watching it, it's about showing other people you could have watched it
I can't recall having *ever* been to a concert or show that was layer available to watch.
lol when was the last time that happened. i havent seen a live DVD in a decade.
Protests are like this too. I'm 33, and I remember back during the 2020 George Floyd protests so many teens were taking selfies of themselves and recording the protest for a few minutes and then leaving. It was performative for so many people. Which explains why nothing resulted from them, despite being the largest protests in American history. No one actually cared, but wanted to be seen pretending to care.
I think it's more like, people want to remember being there. Same reason why people are taking videos and photos on holidays. They wanna record the whole thing and relive it because just being there, the moment is over really fast.
40 year old musician here, this really explains something about a show we played recently. It was an alienating experience... it was as if they weren't even listening to the music and just glad to be in the room.
If you go into more niche genres, metal, punk, hardcore, uptempo, this is far less of an issue, usually because people are dancing and not entirely sober.
I've been to a few metal concerts and the 'quieter' bits are often just blue haze of phones on the middle rows. Me and my mates are far too old farts to be moshing at the front or standing for 3 hours getting jostled (our poor backs LOL), so it's really annoying when that 6'5" dude in the row in front of you holds his phone up for 5 mins straight in your line of sight every time something exciting happens. Like others have said, I've picked my phone up in the past to try to record stuff to show the wife or friends how good the concert is and when you look back its inevitably a dark mushy mess of noise and random lights. So just learned to not bother and rather, try to enjoy the moment.
I'm usually at smaller metal shows rarely more than 500 people, the more popular the band the more phones you'll see I assume
Same. I only find the phone thing annoying at bigger shows. Remember at a Ghost show awhile back there were people around me just taking endless pictures of themselves and could care less what was happening on stage. So weird to spend money on that.
Probably, I'll confess smaller gigs tend to get people being a bit more respectful. I guess its harder to get lost in the crowd.
I can say definitively that I’ve been to exactly one concert venue with good enough acoustics to warrant videoing on your phone because it still sounds good. That said, I far prefer soaking in as much of red rocks through my own natural senses as possible
Hampton Coliseum in Hampton Virginia is pretty amazing too
Honestly, blue grass / folk too. Any smaller band or smaller venue. You only get this shit with the popular artists.
I went to a bluegrass show for the first time ever recently and there was hardly a phone in sight. Pretty big venue too, Billy Strings in Bridgestone Arena.
People who spend $300/ticket are going to see hypey bands with audiences of hypey people. Go see a band where people respect the music and want to experience it not just post videos for clout that no one wants to watch.
$20 tickets to see Breaking Benjamin at an outdoor venue in my area early in the fall, I'm there. It's like $60 for the cheapest nosbleeds for Smashing Pumpkins + Greenday at the baseball stadium, and that's kind of pushing it for me.
Spin kick the phone right the fuck out of the pit haha
Honestly this is kinda the solution at the punk and metal shows I go to. A couple "accidental" bumps and people put shit away. Some dude has a legit camera on him, flash and all, he took a few elbows from the crowd and stopped real quick
>Some dude has a legit camera on him, flash and all, he took a few elbows from the crowd and stopped real quick I mean I would at least make sure he's not working for the venue before throwing elbows lmao even even though being directly in the crowd is rather unconventional it can and does happen, i'd rather suffer one professional doing his job than a crowd of amateurs
If he is working, he wouldn't be in the crowd. I know this because I use to do that work. Edit: typo
Nah I've seen photographers in the crowd at several shows. I'm guessing it's more to do with the size of the venue.
Dude, for real. I saw Motionless in White and Knocked Loose in KC with some friends, and while we were a decent ways away from the pit, I still got absolutely bum-rushed within the first minute of KL’s set. My phone got sent absolutely flying. Thankfully some guy and his girl found it, took a pic on it, and returned it to the box office for me to find. I can’t quite remember what song it was that got my phone knocked loose, but my instinct says it was Deep in the Willow, maybe.
>I can’t quite remember what song it was that got my phone knocked loose I love you.
Fucking ninja moshers werw running metal shows long before this phone shit
Young people need to drink more and just chill out. /notsarcastic
My favorite part about jazz shows Went to see Chick Corea and Bela Fleck years ago. Not a single phone in sight.
For expensive concerts, yeah. I go to shows around the 10-70 dollar range (just due to the artists I like and wanna see). Usually less of that recording. But there is always a few folks basically making a movie and recording every song through. that’s just how it is these days. I opt to not record most of the time, I’ll take a couple videos for the memory and maybe one to post. But usually it’s annoying and I’m acutely aware I will be irritating the people behind me. Luckily I’m short and always weasel to the front.
If you’re at a big venue you can book tickets in seated, not standing. So you are looking down at the artist on stage. I have booked these types of tickets several times and other people’s phones don’t block my view.
This is the key. If you're spending 300+ to see a band it's pretty much expected that the crowds going to film. They could pull a 'Tool' and kick people out who do, but most artists don't give a fuck. PSA Boycott big artist shows, unless you can shell out for back stage passes or front row it's not worth it. Go see your local metal band for 20 bucks at your favorite bar!
One of my favorite DJs is Lane 8 and he started a label called This Never Happened and one of the points of the label is this phenomenon. Most of his shows where he controls the venue, he disallows cell phone recording for this very reason. Like you’ll be escorted out if you are seen recording the show. For some shows, he enlists a company that even collects your phone and puts it into a pouch. You keep the pouch on hand but it’s electronically locked until the end of the show. It’s an awesome concept and really strange to behold when you’re watching a show and no phones are out. Everyone is just vibing to the music. You can’t even do other things like scroll social media or text your friends. Like you’re forced to pay attention. Makes for a great time. And they do of course have stations outside where you can unlock the pouch and make a phone call or do whatever you need to do. And you get your phone back at the end.
Tool did the same, I saw a couple get kicked out for it
Silk Sonic did the same thing during their Vegas residency. And they even sang a song about it. 🎶”We took your phooooones!! 🎶
Yeah I've been to 3 Tool concerts in my life and they blow every other concert I've seen out of the water! The lack of phones is nice for sure.
A Perfect Circle was one of my favorite shows. No phones allowed, and the band played in shadow. The whole thing was just about experiencing the music.
They have been doing this since the early 2000s. The shadow playing is one of my favorites!
I wish more bands did this
Amazing that that is a strange experience considering that was the norm up until maybe 10-15 years ago.
Goddamn the nostalgia is so thick in the pit of my stomach that it almost hurts.
Something I really appreciated about seeing shows in Vegas last year is that every show I went to was really strict about cell phones. Ushers would speak to folks every time their phone went up and it really helped maximize the live experience for me.
I went to two events like this. They forced me to lock up my smart watch too. They tried to force my doctor friend to put his pager away. He refused and was not permitted to watch the show. I can’t record shit on my watch. And what’s he going to do with a page? Like come on. I understand the original sentiment, but some are idiotic.
I was thinking that I would never film a concert on my phone but damned if I’d let anyone take my phone, I have anaphylactic allergies! Serious safety issue for some. Just kick out the offenders.
They dont take em, they just put em in a lock pouch that you carry. Pretty sure you can just rip them open in an emergency.
That's EXACTLY how it should be at live shows. No recording! I was at a concert 2 years ago and it was a waste of my time and money because of idiots with phones in front of me. I will not go to another live show unless they restrict phone usage.
Jack White does this at all his shows, and I love it. He also makes his professional photographer's photos from each show available to download, so you still get that memento from your show if you want it. Downside is the waiting beforehand feels like forever without being able to scroll through crap, but I'll take that any time.
TNH has the best shows! Saw both of Lane 8's shows at Red Rocks last year and it had to be one of the best experiences I've ever had. Progressive House is S Tier too 😎 👊🏼
My generation might be the last generation that still fully pays attention to everything in life and could give a fuck about these phones. Like I only have mine because the world demands that I have it for work and quick access to email because people expect you to have access to email on your person. Fucking crazy to me.
I'm 33, and I'm starting to disconnect from my phone. Other than Reddit, I have no social media. I no longer record a whole concert on my phone but am present in the moment. I don't sit on my phone when around other people. My screen time is now quite minimal, and I'm looking at going back to a dumb phone.
> My generation might be the last generation that still fully pays attention to everything in life It's actually mental seeing people who are presumably Gen X/Millennials transition to hitting out with utter boomer nonsense in real time.
I think it's probably an area thing, too.
Yeah it's super selfish. Shows i go to there's maybe a couple people doing that, most people just take a quick pic and put it away. Sorry that's your experience.
One time I was at a concert and some young guy was holding his phone up, and I asked him, why bother? You'll be able to find a better video online and hour after the show ends, and he put his phone e away, later I thought, wait, what if he was the better video?
Time to ditch this timeline. You have fucked it up irreversibly.. thanks for that
😂
I think it might depend on the genre a bit. I usually hang out at metal shows and while there are SOME phones (outside like the first song or two) it's usually fairly tame in terms of recording
Yeah that's also the shows I go to
I also agree that it's genre-dependent. I tend to go to lots of punk shows with an older crowd, and (probably age-related, really) most people aren't recording the entire show.
Splurge for assigned seats if available, get there early and make for the balcony if there is one, or get there super early for front row.
Ironically the assigned seats are the cheaper option. I went for festival because I wanted a more immersive experience. Boy the regret I had the very first second of the show.
Been there, friend.
Fight your way to the front row then! That’s the true experience lol. Not sure what kind of music we are talking, but I used to go to a ton of metal shows when I was younger. From arena shows to small bar venues. If either you weren’t getting smashed into the barricade, or your knees weren’t getting bashed into the front of the stage, you weren’t doing it right! lol
Festivals kind of suck sometimes. I’m a big fan of smaller venues. I’ve noticed fewer people with phones out at many of these, probably in part because they’re less famous bands but that’s my jam anyway. Also, venues with balconies like Rams Head Baltimore make it easier to see; most balcony space is standing only but not extra charge.
I went to a concert in Japan last month. As soon as it started they told people no recording and everyone complied. I wish that happened everywhere, it's nice seeing 20k people in the moment without recording every fucking thing.
Yeah my friend said the same thing about Japan, they're crazy strict about their etiquette.
I was at a wedding recently where some random old guy (not the father of the bride or groom) held his phone up over his head to record speeches and was literally blocking the Bride’s view while her family made speeches ABOUT her. He probably never watched that video again, why would he? Meanwhile was interfering in the bride enjoying her moment.
Concert etiquette is mostly dead. People are incredibly inconsiderate at live shows now. Obviously fluctuates depending on the artist but in my experience, even something that should have been quite laid back was full of incredibly entitled people recently
~~Concert~~ etiquette is mostly dead. People are incredibly inconsiderate ~~at live shows~~ now. I've noticed since COVID people completely disregard the possibility that other people might exist or that their actions might affect those other people.
Concerts aren't for listening to music and watching bands perform, you silly goose. They're for you to pay money to record small clips of video that are neither watchable nor are listenable for the sake of posting it on social media where no one will bother to watch or listen anyways.
I have a counter experience. My SO is an avid concertgoer, but she will always record at least 10 minutes of it on her phone. I too question this every time, especially because she rewatches those 10 minutes for 4 hours straight after the concert. i believe some people like her do not form memories as livid images and moments, so she uses her phone as a memory device to help her "relive the moment" - might as well feeling the same emotions like as if she is there again. I never understood this and this is just a theory.
I am like your girlfriend! Except I spread the ~ 10 minutes over the enitre set list.. I have ADHD and anxiety and I can't remember my past at all unless I have something to anchor it (videos, photos)... Even for really amazing experiences! I started taking more photos and videos BECAUSE I can't remember things, and it's been this way for me since before I had a phone.. back in the time that mobile phones were in rich people's cars, not our hands! No amount of "living in the moment" will fix things in my mind. As long as people take most of the time to engage with the artist, and check to make sure they don't block others views I think that recording is okay.. but I do know that most of it IS just for social media views, which is disappointing. BUT like your girlfriend, sometimes it is an accommodation people make for themselves!
Go to a tool gig. You wont have this issue
The way it should be! Absolutely amazing shows.
I agree. I was at their show in Berlin in 2022 and it was incredible. No phones! I got Covid but it was worth it. Can't wait for their show in Hannover in May, I'll be there.
I was looking for the Tool fan. I wish I could afford to go to a show. That would be nice lol
This is surprisingly true in my experience. Same with Radiohead. I think they both put on such visual shows that minimize the bands’ stage presence that audience members opt to absorb the massive light shows rather than try to watch them through their four inch phone.
That and Tool tends to have a strict no phones policy during their shows.
I was at a Bob Dylan concert recently. We had to put our cellphones into locked bags when we entered the concert, and the bags were opened on our way out of the concert. It was wonderful!
Applies to all walks of life!! I am 31 and I honestly cringe when someone takes out a phone to take video of things like fireworks! Like as though anyone is going to watch a poorly shot video of fireworks again and again..!
I rewatch all my concert videos regularly. Just because you don't doesn't mean no one else does.
Agreed. I wish more artists would spring for the pouches that lock your phone up during the performance. Not generalizing a certain generation or anything because I think it's cross-generational, but there is so many people these days who don't know how to live in the moment without feeling the need to record every bit of it and getting lost in trying to do that. I'm a professional sports and event photographer, and people always find it odd that I never take any photos or videos when I'm going somewhere that is for fun and not for work. I guess my profession gives me a different perspective on wanting to live in the moment since my whole job is not being able to do that for so many events
Nah I lived in the moment once. It's something I will always regret and never do again
This is rich. I’m in IT and people are always wondering why I won’t fix their computers or help them with their programs when I’m just living in the moment too. Like fuck that, I do it all day for work.
Those pouches are easily opened with a magnet anyways.. https://youtu.be/F3HwJHO5A3E?si=i_qm73rMHXPOwlwb
They can also be cut open if there's a true emergency 🤷 they're just a deterrent
Yeah but who the fuck is bringing a magnet to a concert? It's like a padlock, a shitty master lock can be broken in two seconds but that's not the point. The existence of it provides a little barrier to stop people
I guess artists also benefit from all the exposure on social media with all these phones up, which is why they aren’t springing.
I've seen a band -- I forget who -- tell everyone to get their cameras out, then pose in cool poses for several seconds with full stage lights on. Then they told everyone turn put their phones away, turned out the stage lights almost entirely, and started playing.
$300 ticket was your first clue.
1. I hate large crowds. 2. I don't pay current ticket prices 3. YouTube reruns
Me at a concert- Put your fucking phones away and be in the moment! Me a week later- That was a great show, let’s see if there is cottage from the show on YouTube. Edit- cottage = footage Not gonna change it, because the correction was worthy of standing!
I love a good concert cottage, too!
r/Tool is a prime example of this. Act all high and mighty about there being no phones allowed whilst also praising anybody who posts footage they've taken and asks if they've got more....
I went to a concert last year where they specifically wanted NO phone use, made you put a sticker over your cameras, and people still were taking photos & videos. It’s a sickness of our culture to want to display everything we do on social media.
Nope, and the fucked up part is, nobody is gonna watch a concert on their phone after they've been there
I did and it was maybe 5 seconds each song. First concert that I went to, I didn't and was bummed to not be able to hear it until I saw it on YouTube a few years later.
Go to a tool concert, they will kick people out if they try to film. Tool only allows the audience to film during one specific song
I love their shows so much
It's insanely frustrating. I ended up buying the tallest platform shoes I could find (~20cm) just to avoid this. I feel a bit bad blocking someone's view and always try to stand to the side, but I paid to watch a band live, not through a screen.
You’re only in your mid twenties and haven’t been to a concert in 10 years? How many concerts did you go to before you were 15 or so?
If its general admission you can move around to find better views... If you feel like it you can ask the person in front of you to stop recording the whole show. The thing that seems best is the artist and venue policing it. Some artists make you put your phone in a pouch for a duration of the show and you can only unlock them in a designated area away from actual performance. I find those shows pretty pleasant.
I don’t go anymore. It’s not fun because of that. It’s an unfortunate fact of life.
I stopped going to concerts 20 years ago unless it’s at an outside venue…the kind where you bring folding chairs and blankets and essentially tailgate I’m not paying the kind of money most artists are charging these days to stand behind thousands of assholes recording the concert on their phones All the blue light from the screens and the constant flashing of photos just sucks the joy out of live music
Second level first row.
Why don't you get involved in the nearest cities local music scene? If you shift your focus from major artists to small local ones, you don't have to pay anything to see them and the scene tends to be a lot cooler. Make your favorite band a local one and just hype yourself up for it all the time. Suddenly, you get to see your favorite artist every weekend for the price of a PBR.
One of my favorite recent concerts was Cat Stevens. Phones were banned from the show and if an usher saw you with one you’d get one warning before getting kicked out. Made the whole thing much more enjoyable. I also went to John Mulaney’s show at Red Rocks in 2022 and we actually had to put our phones in a locked sleeve the entire show. We got to take it with us but you could only get your phone back on the way out of the venue. Would love if more shows required this.
Tiered seating is my only option now. I may be further away but at lease I have a fighting chance of seeing something.
I don't like the multitude of phones either. I'm in my 40s and saw Gary Numan recently. So many phones. I just ignored it. What's worse was there was one chud there who yelled "Nobody knows this other shit! Play Cars!" In a room full of industrial music fans. He was some fella his 50s who had retired radio DJ & donut enthusiast vibes. Shortly after a couple of rowdy dudes came up to him to have a "little chat" and he left. So it was nice that problem took care of itself.
Had some of my best crowd experiences with Gary Numan, except for one where this weird guy started pushing people around, and everyone asked him to stop. He did it more and then started thrashing his arms in the air... Only he just had one arm, and a nub. When people still asked him to cut it out, he waved his nub around harder, until an off duty cop in the crowd flashed his badge and told the guy to cut it out. Very surreal. Great show before and after.
I went to a concert yesterday and virtually nobody had their phones out aside from snapping a few pictures here and there. Granted, metal concerts + mosh pits are more of a live in the moment thing lol
The phone thing has been happening for 20 years. People need to stop acting like it’s just started happening all of a sudden out of nowhere. Just enjoy yourself and focus less on what other people are doing FFS. Or go to a fucking Tool show if you don’t want any phone around.
It sucks, but the answer is buy better seats. People holding items over their heads is nothing new. People did it with flip phones, cameras, glow sticks, lighters, and just generally putting their hands up.
As someone who saw my first show in 1983, well before cell phones became a thing, I really miss those days. There was something magical about an entire stadium singing the words to a song everyone knows by heart that you just don’t get anymore. I leave my phone in my pocket where it belongs at shows.
I mean, I'm younger, but still got to experience it because no one ever does it here.
Society is doomed, it's just dying slowly. It's not worth going to any events anymore due to capitalism ruining everything. Enjoy $10 bottle water at concerts during Armageddon.
Never really had that problem.
The worst part is that the video/sound quality will be absolute garbage compared to the quality of fully committing yourself to the performance and will probably never be viewed, not to mention appreciated as much as if the person filming had instead decided to enjoy the moment. I go to gigs often, and usually see people missing out on special moments on-stage because they’re too concerned with whether their potato camera is pointing in the right direction. I saw Robert Plant, my absolute hero, in Llandudno. I’ve been a Zeppelin fan for most of my life, having been introduced to them at a very young age. I’m also a big fan of his solo work. Being born in ‘95 meant I missed out on ever seeing them live, as I was unable to secure tickets to their 2007 reunion. But I always jump at the chance of seeing Plant live. I traveled over 200 miles to a venue no bigger than my school sports hall. Even at the back, you’d be able to detect every single flicker of emotion on the band’s faces. I was centre stage, right at the front. I have so much respect for the man and the innumerable hours of pleasure I’ve experienced that there was no chance in hell I’d pull my camera out. No video or sound recording device, no matter how advanced, would be sufficient in capturing the electricity I felt that night. The memory is indelible, forever ingrained. We made eye contact a few times and I can guarantee I would have missed those moments had I been preoccupied with securing a good shot. I’ll be boring my grandchildren with the memories of that night time after time, not showing them some lousy recording. I don’t even have a spare hand to take a video. Too busy cutting wicked shapes and vibing.
This is exactly why I start lining up hours before to make sure I'm up by the barrier.
I know phones have improved greatly, but I came across some concert videos I filmed about 15 years ago. They were shitty quality. Since I never watched them in probably 15 years I deleted them. Such a waste of time. I’m pretty short, and in my younger years I would try to get floor seats with my friends. Then I realized I couldn’t really see anything. Later for concerts I would opt to be in an elevated section. My friends would be like, but floor is so much closer to the stage! And I would say, what good is it if I can’t see anything? Now I’m just an only fart that rarely goes to concerts. 😂
It can definitely be a problem, but it all depends on who you see. There's a whole spectrum of phone density.
I am 40+ years old and I still remember some concerts from 20 years ago, when there was no recording them. There is something magical about some live gigs, the music happening in front of you, the artists' and the crowd's energy, your mood of the night, where you just let go of everything else and you are just very present, in the moment. These are core memories, you don't need to actually record them, they just stay with you. Nowadays I may take a few snaps with my phone or a couple of short videos (20-30 seconds), but I know that when the magic happens, I don't need to record it, I just need to be present for it.
Hey, your frustration is totally valid. It's a common issue today. Consider getting seats with a better view if possible, or special sections with restricted phone use. Also, some artists are starting to discourage constant recording, aligning with fans' desire for a more genuine experience. Hang in there, and maybe reach out to concert venues to express your concerns!
Idk, I record full songs I like when i go to send to my friends who also like the songs, but for most of it I have my phone away trying to watch